Turfway Park has elected to exercise its option to run four additional days in February, announced General Manager Chip Bach Wednesday.

The addition means the Northern Kentucky track will present live racing all four Fridays and Saturdays in February.

At the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s October meetings to award race dates, Turfway Park requested February 1, 2, 8, and 9, noting that the reduced schedule would help the track increase average daily purses. At the request of horsemen, the request was amended at that time to include February 15, 16, 22, and 23 as optional race dates.

The decision to run the additional dates is supported both by the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

“Our decision to race these dates was influenced by our continued strong field size, the response to our Friday night events, and the horsemen’s preference to maintain the continuity of racing rather than take the two-week break,” said Bach.

In March, Turfway Park is scheduled to race every Friday and Saturday and Thurs., Mar. 21, with Sundays as optional dates. No decision has been made regarding the optional March dates.

Turfway’s current winter/spring meet began Jan. 1 and runs through Mar. 30. The track is racing Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays in January; no optional dates were included in the January allotment.

As part of the dates application process, the concept of awarding optional days is new to Kentucky racing this year.

Alicia Wincze Hughes is the turf writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. She started riding at age 8 and was a four-year member of the Pace University equestrian team.